Acquainting Strangers
by UnluckyAmulet
Summary: Being Mizuho's bargaining chip can be an awkward role, as Sheena discovers when she is sent to speak with their mysterious leader. Yuan, meanwhile, is a little amused. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't own, Namco does.

So the funny thing about this is, even though I never really shipped these two characters all that hard when I first got into TOS, I always thought there was kind of a subtle thing between Yuan and Sheena. I'm aware there is a plothole potential here- but let's say that Sheena didn't see the point of telling Lloyd and co about Yuan until after the truth about Cruxis was exposed in the Tower of Salvation or something. As far as she knows, it was there idea to kill Colette, they knew the worlds were connected, she couldn't go through with it. (She also says "These guards aren't Desians!" in-game, like she'd known that for a while, imo.) Or it could be VERY slightly AU, if you prefer.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

"Sir. The representative from Mizuho has arrived."

"Send them in."

As the Renegade quickly departs, Yuan sighs. He feels strangely tired, but he ignores his tempting-looking chair behind his desk. He only looks up when the quiet sound of the door opening alerts him to the representative.

He is mildly surprised to see a young woman standing before him, looking rather out of place in the technology paradise of Renegade base. She is standing completely straight, almost painfully so, as though she is being judged on her competence solely by her posture. She doesn't speak; she appears to be waiting for further instructions.

Yuan observes her with indifference, however he still notices she is striking- amber eyes gaze at him beneath ebony bangs that sweep across her forehead, falling in front of her eyes but not concealing them entirely. A peculiar choice for an assassin, admittedly, but he has seen stranger things in his lifetime. Even though the woman's clothes are modest, efficient and practical, just what you'd expect from a citizen of Mizuho, there's no hiding her ample cleavage. He can tell just by observing her that she is embarrassed about this. It is something that plenty of women would love to have, yet it makes her feel uncomfortable. Weighed down.

Yuan is amused by this- was this why the girl had been thrust shamelessly into the spotlight by Mizuho's Vice Chief? Did they think that a young, gorgeous assassin would be more palatable than an experienced, older one? To whom? Perhaps this was an idle suggestion made by the Chosen. It certainly wouldn't surprise Yuan.

"I assume it has been explained to you why you are here?"

The girl quickly jolts to attention. She had been observing Yuan just as he had been observing her. His eyes were strange, cold and remote, as if he were analyzing a machine to work out why it had broken, but the intense green of them seems to suck her in, even though she is trying to resist it. Even though his clothes are made from dark fabric (she can tell they are expensive just by looking), his bright cyan hair and emerald eyes demand attention. It's no wonder he is considered the leader, although Sheena has never even heard him mentioned or even hinted at before.

"Yes, sir. You…you want to send me to Sylvarant to assassinate the Chosen."

"Correct." Yuan says, indifferently. "And you are?"

He asks her for a name not out of interest, but he knows he cannot very well go on referring to her as "girl" very much longer, especially not if he is to relay the importance of what she must do to her.

"Sheena Fujibayashi."

"All right. Well then, Sheena, why has the Vice Chief recommended you for this cause?"

She can't be older than twenty. Her body may look convincing enough to have her pass for older, but Yuan can read the youthful naiveté in her face, even though she is trying as hard as she can to be professional. The Vice Chief's choice is looking odder by the moment. Perhaps Sheena notices this, because she clears her throat. Now is her chance to explain herself. She fights to keep the desperation out of her voice, even though her thoughts ring clear in her mind.

_Please. I need to do this. _

"I've been attending the Summon Spirit Research Laboratory since I was very young, which the Vice Chief arranged for on Mizuho's behalf to prove ourselves useful to the Kingdom. Thanks to them, I now have the ability to make pacts with Summon Spirits. According to the Royal archives I was given permission to use, the Summoning arts were long ago lost to the world of Sylvarant, aside from myths of it being passed down through legend, so they will be unprepared for an attack using them. Especially if somebody has been hired to protect the Chosen from the Desians, it's important that the enemy is caught off-guard."

"And you have experience with Summon Spirits?"

Sheena nods. There is something in her face- shame? Fear? Yuan considers the possibility she is lying, but a lie like that would not have brought her all the way here.

"Yes."

"But you have no pacts with any of them," Yuan continues coolly- he isn't quite cruel enough to press that obviously sensitive topic, but the facts sound cold and hard on his tongue and he doesn't bother to try and soften them up. Not that he'd know how to even if he wanted to.

"No," Sheena says, her teeth gritted. "But I have experience with both the known and artificial spirits. I spent a lot of time at both the Imperial Research Academy and the Elemental Research Academy as well. I am a Guardian user and Corrine…my companion, he is also one of the first successful artificial Summon Spirits to survive into full maturity. Artificial Summons are more reliable and stable than their more powerful counterparts and don't require the amount of mana the others do."

Yuan is slightly intrigued now, and Sheena feels her muscles relax slightly. The Vice Chief had told her to be clear about what her capabilities were, but while Sheena knew lying about them was a pointless exercise, she would be beyond mortified if she returned to Mizuho with no mission from the Renegades.

She would not be a failure again.

"Show me," Yuan says.

Trying to steady her nerves in the face of Yuan's intense gaze, Sheena nods and strikes a pose- out of habit, purely. She could have just summoned Corrine by concentrating, but it was easier for her to direct her mana where it needed to go via her hands, especially with her trusty cards acting something as conduits. Corrine appeared in a puff of smoke. Sheena suddenly finds herself wishing that Corrine's signature move was a little more…well, dramatic. Although the presence of a friend does provide her with some comfort, if not the confidence boost she had hoped for.

Yuan looks rather unimpressed- he was expecting something a little grander. But he supposed an ostentatious companion would hardly be suitable for someone of Sheena Fujibayashi's occupation, even if his owner does rather stand out.

"What is it, Sheena?" Corrine asks, after a moment of silence. He settles into a more neutral pose, as each time he is summoned he is instantly prepared for danger. Corrine looks around the lab, confusion evident on his vulpine features. "Where are we?"

_It can talk? _Yuan thinks, a frown appearing on his face to hide his interest. _It really does function like a natural Spirit. But it alone may not be enough to even harm the Chosen, not if Yggdrasill suspects anything. Perhaps I will have to send Botta to the temple, just in case._

"It's about our mission, Corrine." Sheena explains, evasively.

"Oh."

Corrine nods, looks at Yuan. His tail feathers twitch uncertainly. He looks even more out of place in this environment than Sheena does.

"I see." Yuan says, eventually, startling them both. "This mission is crucial to Tethe'alla's survival. I will need to give this matter serious consideration before Mizuho's assistance can be accepted or not."

"Sir, can- may I ask you something?"

Yuan regards her evenly. Sheena fights to keep her face impassive, although intuition tells her she will likely never master a poker face quite like Yuan's.

"Yes?" he asks, tersely.

Sheena licks her lips.

"What will happen to Sylvarant if I kill the Chosen?"

Yuan snorts.

"That is not your concern. Sylvarant's humans are ruled by half-elves with an iron fist. If the Desians have no more mana, they cannot build machinery to use as weapons of war and with no Chosen, they have nothing to assassinate. Exspheres will become obsolete. Tethe'alla will flourish. Isn't that what Mizuho is concerned with?"

Sheena knows what Yuan is trying to infer- she is too soft-hearted for this. She shakes her head, trying not to point out that half-elves in Tethe'alla are in the same place as the humans of Sylvarant. Half-elf sympathy probably is the least of the Renegades concern. Perhaps, if she manages to get to Sylvarant, she can do something about the Desians...certainly, if she can kill the Chosen, she can do something to help the people she is about to hurt. It may not be a very concrete plan, but it's something. Sheena bites back a frustrated sigh at the Renegade leader's implications.

"Of course it is. I just…if your organization is concerned with what will happen to Tethe'alla should it begin to decline, then why don't you care about Sylvarant? If there is no mana, won't it be destroyed and take Tethe'alla with it, if the worlds are truly connected?"

"Humans and half-elves have survived without mana before," Yuan retorts, irritated without expecting to be. Normally he is good at reigning in bothersome emotion, so he is doubly annoyed by both being prodded to feel this way and then actually expressing it. "Do you think a world that relies so heavily on its technology like Tethe'alla can cope without mana? Sylvarant has been declining for decades now. You can either save one world, or ensure the destruction of them both."

Sheena reddens slightly, but doesn't argue. Her fists clench at her sides.

Yuan is somewhat surprised, however. He had expected her to just accept her mission blindly. But this girl, inexperienced and young though she is, challenged him, questioned whether or not things could be changed. She had enough of a brain to realize there were flaws in the story she and the citizens of Mizuho had been told. Intuition like that could be useful. It was a shame she was on the idealistic side, or Yuan would have hired her straight away. But perhaps a small vestige of himself that remembered what a world before he became cynical and bitter can still appreciate an honest heart when it recognizes one. Neither of them says anything for a minute or so.

"Corrine, you can go now." Sheena mutters.

Corrine glances at his master, reluctant to go, but he does as he's instructed and vanishes in a cloud of smoke. He finds himself wishing he could at least bite the strange blue-haired man before he leaves, though.

"We will contact Mizuho with instructions as soon as the Chosen of Sylvarant begins their journey." Yuan suddenly says, turning away and walking to his desk. "Travelling through the dimensional rift will require some preparation beforehand."

"Does this mean-?" Sheens begins.

Yuan glances at her, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"You may tell your Vice Chief that it is Mizuho's mission to protect this world and its Kingdom." Yuan says, quietly. "Are you truly ready for this, Sheena Fujibayashi."

One side of Sheena shouts, _No!_

The side that wins, however, merely gives a determined nod.

"I'll do whatever it takes to save our world." She says, ignoring the twisting of her insides.

So far, thoughts of the Chosen has been a vague, insubstantial thing, like they are an idea rather than a person. She tries not to concentrate on the fact her target is made of flesh and blood. After all, it's not like this will be the first time she has killed…

Dark thoughts clouding her made, Sheena doesn't notice Yuan almost smirking slightly at her as he says. "Very well. You may leave. You can go back to Mizuho in an Elemental Cargo."

Sheena agrees. It feels weird to leave without even properly saying goodbye, just walking out, but she senses sentiment would be wasted here. As she walks out, it suddenly occurs to her as she is waiting to be picked up on the outside docks (she hopes whoever is fetching her hurries, the base is near Flanoir and she isn't dressed for such cold weather), she doesn't even know the strange man's name.

Yuan sits at his desk, thinking.

_Sheena Fujibayashi, hm?_

_The fate of the world rests in your hands._

A wry smirk quirks at his mouth.

_Let's hope you can handle it._


End file.
